Sewing machines



Dec. 16, 1958 H. F. scHAEFER, JR., ET AL 2,864,328

' SEWING MACHINES original Filed July 5, 195:.

,a vSheais-sheet 1 Frank Pu I'Sl'fe?q 5y heir A Homey Dec. 16, V1958 H. F, SCHAEFER, JR., ET AL 2,864,328

SEWING MACHINES original Filed July 5. 1952J 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 16, 1958 H. F. scHAEFER, JR., ET AL 2,864,328

SEWING MACHINES Original Filed July 5, 1952 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 inventan? Hans FJChczefer; JI? Frank PLLSICQF Dec. 16, 1958 H. F. scHAEFER, JR.. ErAL 2,864,328

SEWING MACHINES Original Filed July 5. 1952 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 nuenor' Hans F Schaefezg Jr:

Frank Pulszfer Dec. 16, 1958 H. F. scHAEFER, JR., ET AL 2,864,328

SEWING MACHINES 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 Original Filed July 5. 1952 Dec. 16, 1958 H. F. scHAEFER, JR.. ET AL 2,864,328

SEWING MACHINES original Filed July 5. 1952J 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 Z [nz/@71150115 Hans F. Jlzczefer; JI:

Dec. 16, 1958 H. F. scHAEFER, JR., ET AL 2,864,328

SEWING MACHINES original Filed July 5, 1952 8 sheets-sheet 7 [nz fentorf Hans F 5726161061; JI.

' Frank /Dulsz'er Dec. 16, 1958 H. F. scHAEFER, JR., ETAL 2,864,328

SEWING MACHINES Original Filed July 5, 1952 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 nited States Patent SEWING MACHINES Hans F. Schaefer, Sir., Rockport, and Frank Pulsifer, Hamilton, Mass., assignors to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Boston, Mass., a corporation of New Jersey Original application .uly 5, 1952, Serial No. 297,216, now Patent No. 2,780,188, dated February 5, 1957. Divided and this application June 10, 1955, Serial No. 514,576

Z Claims. (Cl. lll-256) The present invention relates to improvements in shoe sewing machines of the type disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,773,461, granted December 1l, 1956, upon application of Alfred S. Clark, and is identical with that disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,780,- 188, granted February 5,1957, upon application Serial No. 297,216 led in the names of the present inventors on July 5, 1952, of which application the present one is a division.

The machine of inventors prior patent has stitch forming devices including a curved, eye-pointed needle oscillating about a supporting stud mounted generally in parallel relation to a main sewing shaft for actuating the devices to form stitches and to feed the work, in which machine a loop taker is employed having a needle loop entering beak rotating in a plane at an acute angle to that defined by the needle curvature, the plane of the loop taker being intersected by the plane of the needle, so that the face of the loop taker is inclined rearwardly away from the needle and the loop taker is mounted at one side of the needle plane as distinguished from a central location directly above or below the needle, as in prior machines.

An object of the invention is to provide a shoe sewing machine of the type referred to, in which the stitch forming devices and other instrumentalities are more readily accessible for manipulation and adjustments than heretofore, both. from a manufacturing as well as from an operating standpoint.

Thelubricant requirements of oscillating and reciprocating parts in mechanism for actuating the stitch forming and work feeding devices are different from those of continuously rotating gears and shafts and their bearings. It is recognized that for oscillating and reciprocating parts a light air supported spray is preferable, whereas with continuously rotating parts a solid stream of lubricant is more effective.

One feature of the invention is to provide a shoe sewing machine having a solid stream lubricating system for the continuously rotating parts and a spray lubricat- V lhousing and are supplied with continuousy solid stream lubrication obtained from and returned to the second compartment of the housing, in which second compartment is located the oscillating and reciprocating parts in the mechanism for actuating the stitch forming and work feeding devices with spray lubrication.

Other features of the invention are embodied in an improved arrangement of the actuating and driving mechanisms, in the two-compartment oil retaining housing, in which different oil levels are maintained, and other features of novelty including the devices, combinations, and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed, the advantages of which will readily be understood from the following detailedspecitication taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation, partly broken away and in section, of afshoe sewing machine embodying the features of. the present invention; y

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the sewing head portion of the machine illustrated in Fig. 1 with parts broken away and shown in section; y

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan View on an enlarged scale at the front of the same machine showing the actuating and driving mechanisms arranged in a two-compartment oil retaining housing;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the machine taken along the line IV-IV of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional front view of the needle actuating and work feeding devices and their actuating mechanisms shown as viewed along the line V-V of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a plan View of the parts shown in Fig. 5, illustrated in section taken along the line VI-VI of that ligure;

Fig. 7 is a sectional detail view of the needle and takeup mechanisms taken along the line VII-VII of Fig. 4;

Fig. 8 is a view in left side elevation of the machine looking directly at the sewing point; and

Fig. 9 is an enlarged sectional plan of a loop taker or shuttle and its drive shaft taken along the line IX-IX of Fig. 1.

The apparatus illustrated in the drawings is a curved eye-pointed needle lockstitch sewing machine adapted to operate upon the marginal portions of a shoe similar to that described in the present inventors patent above identified.

The illustrated machine has stitch forming devices comprising a hollow discoidal rotary loop taker or shuttle best shown at 2 in Fig. 9 having a needle loop entering beak 3 mounted for rotation in a plane at an angle to C that defined by a curved eye-pointed needle 4. The needle 4 is secured to a segment 6.(Figs. 5, 6 and 7) mounted for oscillation on a stud 8 secured to a carrier 1t). The curvature of the needle 4 deiines a vertical plane 15 'at one side of the circular path throughl which the beak 3 of the loop takermoves. The beak 3 of the loop taker acts directly on the thread, indicated at 12 in Fig. 7, which is carried by the needle, to open up each loop formed by the needle for passage about a supply ofV locking thread. The angular relation of the loop taker plane, indicated at 14 (Fig. 9) by a dot-dash line, and the plane 15 of the needle enables the thread engaging portions of the loop taker to be located entirely at that side of the needle plane, toward which the work moves during sewing operations. 4The planes 14 and 15 of the loop taker path and of the needle form an acute angle A (Fig. 9) with their intersection passing approximately through the `sewing point or somewhat behind it. In this way a maximum of available space is provided for angular positioning movements of the work during sewing operations.

For mounting and driving the loop taker, it is secured to the forward end of a hollow horizontal shaft 16 (Figs. 2 and 9), mounted for rotation at an acute angle to the axis of the needle stud 8. lThe loop taker shaft is driven from a main sewing shaft 18 (Fig. 1) disposed generally in parallel -relation to the needle stud 8 and to the direction of feeding movement of the work through the machine.

To connect the loop taker shaft 16 with the sewing shaft 18, in the arrangement of the present invention, the shaft 16 extends rearwardly intersecting the extended plane 1S of the needle and near the right end of the sewing shaft 18 beyond the needle plane (Figs. 3 and 9), there is an angle drive between the loop taker and sewing shafts. The angle drive comprises a bevel gear 20 secured to the loop taker shaft, meshing with a corresponding gear 22 secured on a countershaft 24. The countershaft 24 is disposed at right angles to the sewing shaft 18 (Fig. 4) and carries a helical gear 26 meshing with a similar gear 28 on the sewing shaft. The countershaft 24 serves both for connecting the sewing and loop taker shafts as well as for transmitting rotary motion from an outside source of power to the loop taker and sewing shafts.

For the purpose of obtaining a compact and simple construction, all of theV rotary motion, driving power supply members and their connections are mounted and connected to one portion of the sewing shaft at one side of the needle plane extendedV rearwardly through the frame of the machine and represented at 15 by a dotdash line (Figs. 3, 4, 6 and 9). At the other side of the needle plane 15 are mounted the stitch forming device and Work feed actuating mechanisms connected to and driven from another portion of the sewing shaft 18 which imparts reciprocating and oscillating motions thereto. The construction and general arrangement of the machine is accordingly such as will lend itself effectively to the use of a frame comprising an oil retaining housing formed with two compartments, one of which encloses mechanisms for actuating the stitch forming devices and the other of which encloses` members of the driving connections for imparting rotary motion to the loop taker and main sewing shafts.

The arrangement of the several interconnected shafts with the two-compartment oil retaining housing, comprising the frame of the machine, is effective in providing a continually circulating solid stream lubricating system for the shafts and a spray lubricating system for the mechanisms for actuating the stitch forming devices. For this purpose, one end of each shaft 16, 18 and 24, carrying the bevel and helical gears projects into a high level oil retainingl compartment 30 (Figs. 3 and The compartment 30 isfed with lubricantthrough a duct 34, passing through an upper wall of the compartment 30 from a low level oil containing compartment 36. To feed lubricant to the duct 34 the lower end of a conductor 38 (Fig. 4) is disposed just above it.

of the casing 40 by a disk 42 secured to the main sewl ing shaft in a manner to beV described in more detail hereinafter. The lower edge of the disk dips below the level of the lubricant in the low level compartment 36 and carries it upwardly by centrifugal force. The lubricant carried through the duet 34, rst falls upon the f gear 26 and is thrown about the space in the compartment 30 to lubrcate all of the gears and shafts, the surplus lubricant running through the shaft bearings and back into the low level compartment. To prevent the level of the lubricant in the high level driving connection compartment 30 from reaching the sewing shaft so that it may carry sludge or foreign materialsV into the sewing shaft bearings, the two compartments are ccnnected by an overflow passageway 44, above the level of the lubricant in the low level compartment 36,

To provide access to the compartments 3,0 `and 36, the high level compartmentV is covered byv a plate 46 secured in place by screws 48; and theV low levelrcompartment 36 is enclosed by a separablewall member 50, retained in position by a thumbscrew 52 (Fig s .'2` and S) 4 passing through an opening in the wall member and into a threaded block 53 on the machine frame. The upper portion of the low level compartment 36 has formed in it between the stationary housing frame and the wall member 50, an opening 54 (see Fig. 4) through which projects a main take-up 56. The exposed end of the take-up is enclosed by a cover 5S, hinged by a stud to a block 62 and secured to the housing frame by a screw 64 (Fig. 4). For retaining the cover 58 in position, it carries a spring pressed plunger 68 (Fig. 7) engaging a recess in the block 62 while the cover is in closed position.

For providing a solid stream of lubricant to the connecting gears and shafts of the present machine, the casing 40 (Fig. 7), to which the conductor 38 is attached, is mounted upon a projecting lug 70 of the machine frame by a pair of cap screws 72 passingV through a flange at one side of the casing. The ange on the casing also surrounds a substantial proportion of the periphery of the disk 42 so that the lubricant entrained by the disk is carried. with certainty in the direction of the arrows 74 into the upper end of the casing to the location of the conductor inlet. The casing also has attached to it a shieldY portion 76 extending over other rotating parts of the actuating mechanisms close to the entraining disk 42. The action of the disk also provides some spray lubrication which is supplemented by further means to be described.

All of the mechanisms for actuating the stitch forming and feeding devices with the exception of the loop taker, which is continually rotated,` and the take-up which is cam actuated,` are driven from crank actuated mechanisms located at the right side of the needle plane 15, as seen in Fig. 4. The take-up driving mechanism is relatively simple and` comprises a lever 78, to an upwardly extending arm of which the take-.up 56 is made fast. The lever 78 is mounted for oscillation on a stud 80 (Fig. 7) secured at its ends in the machine frame. Onl a horizontal arm of the lever'78 is a roll 82 engaging a camslot cut in the disk 42.

The needle actuating mechanism is illustrated in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 inclusive. This mechanism. is driven from a crank 84 on the main sewing shaft 18 (see Figs. 4 and 5). The crank 84 (Fig. 5) is surrounded by one end of a pitman 86 having a downwardly extending finger 88 arranged to dip below the surfaceof lubricant in the compartment 36 and produce, with thecentrifugal action of the disk 42, a spray lubrication for the mechanisms in that compartment. Connected to the other end of the pitman by a pivot90 isone` arm of alever 92 fulcrumed on a depending arm ofa bracket 94 fixed to a bracket 96 which supports the feed carrier frame10'. The lever 92 has a horizontalarm, within a slot in whichl is slidably mounted a rectangular perforated block 98` surrounding a dowel projecting from one arm of a lever 100 (see Fig. 5). The

lever 100 oscillates on ay stud 102, secured in a swinging frame comprising the work feed `carrier 10. Connected to the rearward end of the lever 100 by a pin 104 (Fig. 5) is one end of a needle segment actuating link 106, the other end of which is pivotally connected to the segment 6 by a pin 108. The link 1 06 also has pivoted to it at 110 a needle guide actuating link 112. The lower end of the link 112 is pivotally connected' to a needle guide 114. The needle itself is secured to the needle segment by a clamp bolt 116.

The illustrated machine is provided with-a work support (Fig. l.) andv work clamping and feeding` devices generally similar to the correspondingdevices disclosed in the inventors prior patent. rlhe work support 120 is shiftable during sewing to accommodate varying thicknesses of work resulting from the use of a platform sole having a heel portion integral with the forepart andof substantially greater thickness than the forepart. The work clamping and feeding devices comprise a primary stationary or nonfeeding work clamp and a supplementary worky feeding needed@ clamp having cooperating members consisting, in each case, of a presser foot and a gage arranged for entry into the rabbet of the platform sole operated upon to guide the location of the seam inserted.

As best shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the work feeding clamp 'l comprises a presser foot 122 and a rabbet gage 124 -between which a sock lining, an upper and a platform cover of a shoe are clamped and fed. The rabbet gage 124 is secured in place by a clamp screw 126 passing through the shank of the gage into a forwardly projecting portion of the carrier 10. The work feeding presser foot 122 is secured by a clamp screw 128 to a feed foot lever 130 rotatable about a stud 132 passing through the feed carrier 10.

The supplementary non-feeding work clamp, shown in Figs. 3 and 8, comprises a presser foot 134 and a rabbet gage 136 for clamping the sock lining, upper and platform cover of the shoe. The rabbet gage 136 is secured by a clamp screw 138 to the machine frame. The presser foot 134 is mounted in a manner similar to that of the presser foot 122, by a clamp screw 140 threaded into a presser foot lever 142. The presser foot lever 142 has passing through it a stud 144 (Figs. 4 and 7) and is rotatable with the stud. The stud is mounted in bearings in the bracket 96 in the manner disclosed in inventors prior patent.

For actuating the work feeding presser foot 122 the needle actuating link 106 carries a pivot pin 146 (Fig. 5) passing through a link 148, the upper end of which is pivotally connected at 150' to a floating lever 152. The lever 152 is fulcrumed by a bolt 154 passing through it `and the feed foot lever 130. A third point of connection for the floating lever 152 comprises a ball headed pin 156 (Fig. 5), the head of which is surrounded by a spherical socket in the rearward end of a link 158 (Fig. 3). The link 158 is similarly connected by a ball headed pin 160 secured in the supplementary presser foot lever 142.

The frame of the feed carrier oscillates about a pair of spindles 162 (see Fig. 5) on the bracket 96. To oscillate it the carrier also has an arm 164 (Fig. 6) projecting toward the left from the needle plane when viewed from the front of the machine, to which arm is clamped a ball headed bolt 166. The bolt 166 is surrounded by a link 168 forming a part of the work feed mechanism.

The work feed mechanism includes the link 168 and is adjustable during sewing operations to vary the length of the stitches inserted by the machine. For this purpose the rearward end of the link 168 has a spherical socket surrounding a ball head 178 on a -bolt 172 passing through one end of a link 174. The links 168 and 174 comprise a toggle, the central joint of which is formed by the bolt 172 which is actuated to impart a feeding movement to the feed carrier. For actuating the bolt 172 it is secured in a pitman 176 (Fig. 3) carried by a crank pin 178 projecting from an arm 180 keyed to the crank 84.

To adjust the amount of feeding movement the link 174 is pivotally mounted on an arm 182 (Figs. 2, 3 and 4). The arm 182 is secured to a shaft 184 rotatable in a fixed bearing in the machine frame for moving the feed adjusting links 168 and 174.

The countershaft 24 is rotatably mounted against axial movement and held within a readily removable flanged mounting sleeve 185 (Fig. 1), secured in an opening through the side wall of the high level oil retaining compartment 38. For this purpose, the flange of the sleeve has passing through it a number of` clamp screws 186 threaded in the side wall of the high level compartment 30. The anged sleeve 185 also prevents escape of oil from the driving compartment. Removal of the clamp screws enables the countershaft and sleeve to be withdrawn endwise as a unit from the machine through a control enclosure 188 having a circular port in its side wall from which the outer end of the countershaft projects. The outer end of the countershaft has secured thereto a driving pulley 190 within the enclosure 188 and a hand wheel 192 outside the enclosure. Surrounding the drivi ing pulley 190 is a belt 193 passing throught the opening in the lower end of the control enclosure 188.

To provide clearance for the pulley 19t) and the sleeve 185, the port in the control enclosure through which the countershaft projects is of a greater diameter than the pulley and the sleeve and the port is closed by a centrally perforated removable disk 194 surrounding the countershaft and retained frictionally within the port of the control enclosure side wall.

For providing means to enable convenient removal of the loop taker shaft 16 it is rotatably mounted in bearings supported in part by a bearing sleeve 196 (Fig. 9) entering a close fitting passage in the machine frame. To secure the loop taker bearing sleeve in place, it is engaged by a clamp screw 198. The clamp screw, when tightened, draws against the bearing sleeve to hold it in place. With this arrangement, assembly and disassembly of the machine is facilitated and adjustments of the mechanisms inside the housing of the machine are conveniently made.

In order to release the work from the machine at the end of a seam, both the feeding and non-feeding presser feet are raised from engagement with the work through the action of a single treadle actuated control connection. The control connection for raising the presser feet comprises a lever 200 (Fig. 7) fulcrumed on the stud 144 and is formed at one end with a rounded surface to engage the underside yof the non-feeding presser foot lever 142. The other end of the presser foot raising lever 200 is pivotally connected by a pin 202 to an angle link 284, connected in turn by a pin 206 to an arm 208 secured to a horizontal shaft 210 rotatable in the machine frame with one end projecting into the control enclosure 188 (see Fig. 2) having an open lower end. Also secured to the shaft 210, inside the enclosure, is a control arm 212 (Figs. l and 2) having its free end pivotally connected with a treadle rod 214 (Fig. l) projecting downwardly through the open lower end of the control enclosure 188. When the treadle rod is depressed, the presser foot raising lever 200 engages the lever 142 acting directly to disengage the non-feeding foot from the work. Upward movement of the non-feeding foot acts through the link connection 158 (Fig. 3) to raise also the feeding foot.

To enable the feeding movement of the work to be adjusted by a conveniently located treadle connection, the adjusting arm 182 has secured in it a tension spring 216 also attached to a pin 218 in the frame of the machine (Fig. 2). The spring 216 maintains the adjusting arm in a position to produce a maximum feeding movement in the carrier 10. To reduce the feeding movement in the carrier, the shaft 184 has secured to it outside the machine frame an arm 220 (Figs. 1 and 2) pivotally connected to a treadle rod 222, also projecting downwardly through the opening in the lower end of the control enclosure 188. Downward movement of the treadle rod swings the adjusting arm to cause the machine to insert shorter stitches.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated and an embodiment having been described, what is claimed is:

1. A shoe sewing machine having stitch forming and work feeding devices and a main sewing shaft for actuating the stitch forming and work feeding devices, in combination with mechanisms having oscillating parts for actuating the stitch forming and work feeding devices connected between one portion of the sewing shaft and said devices, and continuously rotating driving connec* tions for the sewing shaft mounted on another portion of the sewing shaft, an oil retaining two-compartment housing, one compartment of which encloses the mechanisms for actuating the stitch forming and work feeding devices, the other compartment of which encloses the continuously rotating driving connections and means for supplying a solid stream of lubricant to the driving connections enclosing compartment and for supplying spray lubrication to the other compartment enclosing the actuating mech.

- gemelas `anisms, said lubricating `means Aacting to lift the level of the lubricantinlthe compartmentenclosing the-driving connections above that'in thefcompartment enclosing the mechanism for actuating the stitch forming and work feeding devices.

2. A shoe sewing machine Yhaving stitch forming and work feeding devices, and a main sewing shaft for actuating the stitch forming and'work feeding devices, in combination with mechanism having oscillating parts connected between said devices and one ,portio'n'of Vthe lsewing shaft, and continuously rotating driving connections cooperating with another portion 'tof the sewing shaft, including a countershaft and angle drive gears on the respective shafts, a two-compartment oil `retaining housing, one compartmentof which encloses the mechanisms for actuating the stitch `forming and work feeding devices and the other compartment of Ywhich-encloses the continuously rotating driving connections, lubricant lifting means for `forming `an oil spray in the 'actuating -mech- `anisrn compartment, means in the actuating mechanism compartment for collecting a portion of said spray and delivering a-solid stream of lubricant to the other cornpartment, and an overflow passageway between the compartments of the housing above the level of the lubricant in the actuating'mechanism compartment to prevent the levelof the llubricant in the driving compartment from `reaching the sewing shaft.

'References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

